A look at Queens Park Rangers F.C. through the eyes of the fans - follow us on twitter @loftyheights70, @LoftyQPR and @qprleeroy

Saturday, September 16, 2006

The Only Way is Up... I hope...

Colchester 2-1 QPR

Today's short trip up the A12 was a breath of fresh air compared to the long journeys we have encountered on our travels so far. Three of the gang travelled to Layer Road as Rangers went into the game now bottom of the Championship.

We arrived in good time and suprisingly to what seemed a hostile reception. There was a massive police presence and also, on arrival at the recommended pub, we were informed that no away fans were allowed - although they were quite happy to take our money and let us use their car park, to which we declined. With time on our side, we took a drive and found a pub called 'The Mayflower', which friendly atmosphere provided our pre match entertainment - including a few games of pool and some decent grub.

Those who have been to Layer Road will be the first to tell you (with respect) that it is somewhat smaller than most. I was intending to bring back the 'Pie Rating' for today's game. But the catering facilities where I was sitting, consisted of two young lads selling bottles of coke and such like from a cool bag and food from a portable hostess trolley - so I decided to give that one a miss.

Colchester won the match 2-1 with goals from Iwelumo(9) and Garcia(18). Marc Nygaard's lob was helped on it's way into the net by Brown on 76 minutes to reduce the deficit. But it was no more than a consolation as despite some late pressure, Colchester held on.

I have often found, that the Official QPR webpage seems to 'sugar coat' Rangers performances at times and I sometimes wonder if I had attended the same game. But todays report and Gary Waddock's quotes in particular, were spot on. So much so, that I will include his post match comments on here - they sum up Rangers performance today perfectly:

"I don't know where to start, where was the pride? Where was the passion?

I wasn't the best player, but in mine and Alan McDonald's day we knew what it meant to wear the shirt.

All I know is, we're bottom of the table and I don't like it one bit.

We didn't improve in the second half in my opinion; we were bad from start to finish.

Myself and Alan McDonald both said the same thing to the players after the game, they need to take a long, hard look at themselves."

6 Comments:

I was just feeling better when I read your report and then it dawned on me: The Rs just lost to a team that isn't even big enough to have pies. I can't believe the first pub turned you away like that, pretty rude. I would have expected The Mayflower to be in Plymouth, but at least they were hospitable.

Hopefully that is the bottom and there is going to be a big response from the team, at least I hope so.

The performance on saturday was an embarresment. In the first half the team reminded me of the team that got us relegated from this division last time. There was no fighting spirit in the players, no teamwork and no composure under pressure. What was most disturbing to me was the fact that there was constant arguing between players and the so called captain for the day said absolutley nothing to anyone. Bircham again put in a battling performance and was doing what Rose should of been doing as captain.

In the second half we were marginally better but in truth colchester are an average side, and with all due respect to them are a team we should of beaten easly.

Cookie in the second half tried to take colchester on singly handed and wasnt given any help by the fact that Milanese and Ward both kept ignoring him out wide and either putting deep crosses for Nygaard to watch go past him, as it was to much effort to actually jump half the time, or cross field passes to the right side of midfield where either an out of position baidoo or out of position rose were.

The organistion in the defence was a joke and needs to be sorted now. the defenders were all over the place and were easily beaten in the air each time.

On a different note the only reason the pool game was so long as we spread it out to give you time to eat your meal :)